The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)

Name: The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)
Author: Skelton, John

Skelton, John

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

Or suche chaunce shulde fall
  Vnto our cardynall.
    Allmyghty God, I trust,
  Hath for him dyscust
  That of force he must
  Be faythfull, trew, and iust                                         750
  To our most royall kynge,
  Chefe rote of his makynge;
  Yet it is a wyly mouse
  That can bylde his dwellinge house
  Within the cattes eare[203]
  Withouten drede or feare.
  It is a nyce reconynge,
  To put all the gouernynge,
  All the rule of this lande
  Into one mannys hande:                                               760
  One wyse mannys hede
  May stande somwhat in stede;
  But the wyttys of many wyse
  Moche better can deuyse,
  By theyr cyrcumspection,
  And theyr sad dyrrection,
  To cause the commune weale
  Longe to endure in heale.
  Christ kepe King Henry the eyght
  From trechery and dysceyght,                                         770
  And graunt him grace to know
  The faucon from the crow,
  The wolfe from the lam,
  From whens that mastyfe cam!
  Let him neuer confounde
  The gentyll greyhownde:
  Of this matter the grownde
  Is easy to expounde,
  And soone may be perceyued,[204]
  How the worlde is conueyed.                                          780
    But harke, my frende, one worde
  In ernest or in borde:
  Tell me nowe in this stede
  Is maister Mewtas dede,
  The kynges Frenshe secretary,
  And his vntrew aduersary?
  For he sent in writynge
  To Fraunces the French kyng
  Of our maisters counsel in eueri thing:
  That was a peryllous rekenyng!—                                      790
  Nay, nay, he is nat[205] dede;
  But he was so payned in the hede,
  That he shall neuer ete more bred.
  Now he is gone to another stede,
  With a bull vnder lead,
  By way of commissyon,
  To a straunge iurisdictyon,
  Called Dymingis Dale,
  Farre byyonde Portyngale,
  And bathe his pasport to pas                                         800
  _Ultra Sauromatas_,
  To the deuyll, syr Sathanas,
  To Pluto, and syr Bellyall,
  The deuyls vycare generall,
  And to his college conuentuall,
  As well calodemonyall
  As to cacodemonyall,[206]
  To puruey for our cardynall
  A palace pontifycall,
  To kepe his court prouyncyall,                                       810
  Vpon artycles iudicyall,
  To contende and to stryue
  For his prerogatyue,
  Within that consystory
  To make sommons peremtory
  Before some prothonotory[207]
  Imperyall or papall.
  Vpon this matter mistycall
  I haue tolde you part, but nat[208] all:
  Herafter perchaunce I shall                                          820
  Make a larger[209] memoryall,
  And a further rehersall,
  And more paper I thinke to blot,
  To the court why I cam not;
  Desyring you aboue all thynge
  To kepe you from laughynge
  Whan ye fall to redynge
  Of this wanton scrowle,
  And pray for Mewtas sowle,
  For he is well past and gone;                                        830
  That wolde God euerychone
  Of his affynyte
  Were gone as well as he!
  Amen, amen, say ye,

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The Poetical Works of John Skelton, Volume 2 (of 2)

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